Joan Campbell

Why I Started Writing:

Since childhood I’ve been captivated by stories that grant the ability to step into other times, places and lives. This became even more vivid and enchanting when I began writing stories of my own. I particularly love ‘stepping into’ Bible stories and experiencing them as a participant, rather than an observer. Writing is my way of understanding the Bible and its characters in deeper ways, and drawing insights from the lives I write about. I hope this is as spiritually enriching for my readers as it is for me.

 

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia first showed me the power of story to impart the truth of my faith, and gave me the desire to write Christian fiction. I loved Karen Hancock’s Legends of the Guardian King series, which influenced the themes and style of my YA Fantasy series. Lloyd C. Douglas’s The Robe is still my favourite historical fiction novel, and an inspiration to write in that genre. The writing of Eddie Askew also influenced me. In my short story collections, I take readers onto the dusty paths of Ancient Israel to experience familiar Bible accounts in a more personal way. This is what Eddie Askew does so well in books such as A Silence and a Shouting and Cross Purposes.

 

Books I Have Written:

I have written a YA Fantasy trilogy called The Poison Tree Path Chronicles, which contains the underlying message of God’s redemption and grace. The first book of the trilogy, Chains of Gwyndorr, won the 2017 Illumination award for Young Adult Fiction.

My three short story collections Encounters: Life Changing Moments with Jesus, Journeys: On Ancient Paths of Faith and Soul Search: Questions Jesus Asked contain Biblical fiction stories, reflections, prayers and artwork. Encounters was translated into French and published as Des rencontres qui ont tout changé by Éditions LLB.

My latest book, The Harem Scrolls, transports readers into the palace of King David, and the lives of his wives and concubines. The book took me more than five years to research and write, and I’m excited to share it with readers, under the Elk Lake banner.

 

What I'm Working On Now:

I am working on two short books that are companion resources to The Harem Scrolls. Ancient Beauty Tips: Biblical Women Share their Secrets is a devotional on Biblical beauty, written in the voice of Esther, Abigail and other women of the Scriptures. Breaking News: Discovering the Harem Scrolls contains newspaper clippings and social media posts that appeared in the original Harem Scrolls manuscript. The fictional extracts reflect fascinating snippets of my historical, geographical and archaeological research while writing The Harem Scrolls. Both these resources will be available as free downloads on my website.